


Aftermath Chapter 2- The Grand Adventure

by DJH1950



Series: Aftermath [2]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-23
Packaged: 2018-09-19 05:22:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9420455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJH1950/pseuds/DJH1950
Summary: The Aftermath saga continued. There are a couple original characters- one courtesy of Elev- if you haven't read her work, it's amazing and I've linked it hereCopy into browser-http://archiveofourown.org/works/search?utf8=✓&work_search%5Bquery%5D=elevOr search Elev





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Protocols](https://archiveofourown.org/works/920430) by [elev](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elev/pseuds/elev). 



> Root, Shaw and Gen take a short vacation to the Grand Canyon. Trouble ensues.

_**The Aftermath saga continued- I don’t own any POI characters and any feedback is appreciated. In this adventure, an original character appears. Not my original character however. I’m grateful to Elev for graciously allowing me to incorporate a character she created into this story. Elev is an excellent writer, and if you haven’t checked out any of her work, I encourage you to do so. You won’t be disappointed.** _

 

“I _really, really_ want to see the Grand Canyon.” Gen looked at Root with those eyes- the ones she knew Root had a hard time saying no to.

“Please, Root, Shaw will agree if you ask her.”

Root rolled her eyes ( _starting to act like Sameen_ ) and smiled at Gen.

“She’s going to say my ‘recovery’ is still ongoing and we would have to get Dr. Tillman’s permission and blah, blah, blah…..”

“Yeah, but _you_ can convince her. She’ll do anything for you. You’ve got her wrapped around your finger… and you know it.”

“I don’t have her ‘wrapped around’ anything Gen. She listens to me and seriously considers my input but no one tells Sam what to do if she doesn’t think it’s a good idea.

“If we’re going to go on vacation, it has to be because she agrees with us that it’s a good idea. I can think of a few good reasons, your homeschooling the most important. But without Shaw’s enthusiastic support I don’t want to even consider it.”

“My enthusiastic support of what?” Shaw’s appearance surprised the two as she had gone out to do some practice shooting less than ten minutes ago. “What are you two cooking up now?”

“Back so soon Sweetie? I thought you were going to shoot a few targets.”

“Forgot my Nano was in our nightstand. So what’s going on? Are you two conspiring to wreck my day again. Last week’s trip to the mall was a nightmare and we’re _absolutely not_ repeating that adventure for awhile.”

Gen put on her best pouty face. “I’m trying to convince Root to talk you into a vacation.”

“Vacation from what? Neither of us have worked since we moved in and your schooling will follow us wherever we go. What are you thinking about?”

“We haven’t gone anywhere except shopping and to the hospital since we came to live here. I want to see the Grand Canyon and it’s less than six hours drive… well the way you guys drive at least.

“It could be a field trip. I could write a report on it when we get back. I really, really want to see it Shaw, pluheeaasee….”

“Those eyes only work on Root, Gen. And what about Root’s rehab? We are supposed to take her twice a week for at least the next month. She might regress and we’d have to get Dr. Tillman’s OK to…..” she trailed off when she saw Root smirking and Gen laughing.

“What?”

  
“That’s _exactly_ what Root said you’d say. She also said she wouldn’t agree unless you _enthusiastically_ supported the idea. I think it could be a great learning experience- for all of us.”

Root tilted her head in Gen’s direction. “She has a point Sam- I’ve been in dozens of foreign countries but never to the Grand Canyon. Plus it would be fun to travel somewhere without it being for business.” She followed that up with one of her trademark winks that never failed to give Shaw a lump in her throat.

_The lamest wink I’ve ever seen (and just one of the reasons I love her)._

Shaw cleared her throat and smiled. “I guess I’ll call Dr. Tillman- you guys have had worse ideas.”

As events were to prove, that wasn’t necessarily accurate.


	2. Chapter 2

“Are we there yet?”

Shaw rolled her eyes. “Gen, we just got on the freeway.”

“Yeah but that’s what kids like me are supposed to say.” Gen smirked from the back seat.

“There are no kids like you.”

“That’s why you love me.”

“You have a point. Root, what do you think about us trying to make it all the way today? We can or we can stop at dinner time and get a room in Winslow.”

“Winslow, Arizona?…. Such a fine sight to see… A girl my lord, in an Escalade (?) slowing down to take a look at me.” Root’s voice wasn’t Glen Frey, but it wasn’t half bad. Shaw smiled and winked at her co-pilot.

“There’s an interesting hotel there, the La Posada- built in the 1920’s. There’s a lot of history there, it has a museum. The rooms are named after Hollywood legends. We can stay there, then hit “Standin On The Corner Park” in the morning.”

Root reached over and caressed Shaw’s shoulder. “Sounds like a plan, Sam- do we need to call ahead?”

“Actually, I kind of reserved two rooms for us last week when we planned this. I’m glad you’re agreeable since I had to pay in advance.”

“Two rooms, Sameen…” Root drew out the name, dripping with innuendo. “I assume one is for Gen and Bear?”

“Ewww… jeez I can’t even say ‘get a room.’” Gen teased them from the rear seat. She was in seventh heaven with Bear sitting at her feet wagging his tail in contentment.

As the miles flew by Gen and Root both disappeared into their own virtual worlds while Shaw let her own playlist pass the time and the miles. As Van Morrison trailed off and Joe Cocker began, both Shaw and Root started briefly, then looked at each other.

“We have….” Root began.

“…. a number.” Shaw finished.

“Shit.” This from both. Root looked down at her laptop and began furiously hitting the keyboard. After about thirty seconds, she looked over at Shaw.

“They’re GPS coordinates, about 15 miles southwest of Winslow.”

“That’s convenient. Nothing else? Maybe you should ask her?”

Root smiled adoringly at Shaw’s use of the pronoun.  
“I will, Sam, but you know she only lets us know what we need to know. I know it can be infuriating, but I still trust her.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this Root, but so do I.” Shaw’s mouth turned up slightly and she shook her head.

“Can you hear me? OK, do you have anything more? We do have Gen with us.”

Both could hear the response. _You have time to check into your hotel, then leave Gen and Bear when you head for the rendezvous._ Shaw’s mouth turned back down.

“That’s it? You realize neither of us have dealt with a number since Root woke up. Is this going to put her at risk?”

“Sam, stop… please.”

“No, your machine wants to understand us better, well this is an opportunity. I will go to hell and back for you and Gen, but I’m not cleaning up someone’s mess just to keep some accountant from draining his boss’s accounts if it puts anyone at risk.”

_Ms. Shaw, there are lives at stake- and while I don’t know exactly how many, it appears to be over a dozen._

“Shit.” Shaw looked over at Root who was calmly gazing back at her, expressionless. As Shaw’s resolve began to fade, she smiled faintly at Root and nodded. Root’s face came to life and she smiled lovingly at Sam, then leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

“I figured you would come to the same conclusion I did. I do want you to know something- if you had decided the other way, I’d have backed you.”

Sameen looked over at her love, saw she was serious and got a lump in her throat. Swallowing, she smiled and said,

“I really want to apologize for ever doubting your priorities. The only excuse I have is that all this _feelings_ stuff is new to me.

“I love you.”

Root looked over with a brilliant smile and shining eyes. “Ditto.”

“Would you two stop with the sappy stuff please? All we need right now is ‘Unchained Melody’ playing and I’ll need a barf bag.”

Shaw glanced back at Gen. “I have it on my playlist.”

“Noooooo, please no.” Gen’s smile gave lie to her words. If truth be told, she loved Root and Shaw’s relationship. Her life had never seemed more perfect.

“So what’s the plan with this number you’ve got?”  
Root turned toward the back seat.

“We are going to check into the hotel, leave you and Bear and head to where our all-seeing friend wants us to go. I’ll let Harold and Lionel know what’s up before we get to Winslow so they can cover any unforeseen circumstances.”

Gen was way too smart to miss that.

“Wait a minute, you mean if something happens to the two of you don’t you.” Gen’s face darkened.

Root jumped in. “Gen, we do things that are dangerous at times. We are very good at what we do, but stuff happens. We are just being careful.”

“I don’t think I like this, can’t I go with you?”

_“No!”_

This from both of them. Shaw decided to have a try.

“Gen, this is what we do- and it’s no different than if we worked for the cops or the fire department. We have to sometimes take risks and while everything should be fine, we also have to plan for a worst-case scenario.

“We’ll be fine. We are, after all the best in this particular business.”

“Plus Gen, Sam and I have fought against the best the Government has to offer and they’ve yet to beat us, this will be a piece of cake.”

_Root had no idea how wrong she was._


	3. Chapter 3

The Escalade pulled into La Posada’s parking lot and stopped. The lot was over half empty, which wasn’t necessarily surprising for a Tuesday afternoon. As the group climbed out of their car they felt the heat like a slap in the face.

“Wow it’s hot, must be close to 90.” Gen ducked back in the back seat, grabbed a baseball cap and put it on.

Neither Root nor Shaw paid any attention to their surroundings. They checked in, dropped their stuff and headed across the hall to Gen and Bear’s room. After situating them they headed back out to the Escalade and plugged the coordinates into the SUV’s NAV system. They drove south and in fifteen minutes were at their turnoff.

Shaw pulled the SUV into a secluded spot and turned off the engine. Moving quickly and economically, they retrieved several items from a locked storage compartment in the back of the Escalade. Several weapons, grenades and a compact RPG made up their arsenal, all but the RPG concealed in their utility vests.

Returning to the front seat, they headed the last 3/4 of a mile at a crawl. Rounding a large outcropping of rocks, the Escalade came to a deserted clearing. The area showed signs of recent activity. Less than one hundred yards further south they could see an area of dense rocks and bushes. Something glinted in the sunlight.

Shaw glanced at Root, who nodded and indicated they should head for clearing. They drove past an eight to ten foot deep gulley which ran about 30 feet before it trailed off. It appeared as though the gulley had gone on another 50-75 feet but had been filled with dirt and rocks, either with a front end loader or a lot of hard labor.

Shaw glance over at the hole and shuddered.

“I saw something like this in Syria. Right before I left the ISA I went to the middle east. ISIS was just getting started and they’d dig these long trenches for mass graves. I’m afraid if we did a little digging where the fill is we’d find bodies.”

Root shook her head and indicated the area where sunlight had reflected off…. something.

“Let’s not, let’s see what’s sparkling over there.”

When they got to the dense area of bush and rock, they discovered a front-end loader carelessly camouflaged. Next to it was a small path wide enough for the machine to be driven further back. Shaw drove the Escalade down the path at a snail’s pace. Less than 50 feet beyond the front-end loader was an opening big enough to comfortably hide it and a couple vehicles.

Root smirked, “Someone got lazy. We should park the Escalade here then head back to the trench. We can hide behind the rocks until we see who shows.”

Nodding, Shaw backed into the opening, made sure the SUV was out of sight, then shut off the engine. Glancing at Root she scowled.

“I don’t like this. We’ll do it but I don’t like it.”

“I don’t either, Sam, but this is what we do. Do you want to dig around in that trench to see how many are already there? Would that make you feel better about this?”

“Nothing will make me feel better about this- but it’s going to get done. Hey machine, how long until it’s show time?”

_You have less than ten minutes until the lead vehicle arrives._

"Come on Sam, time to get moving."

The pair quickly retraced their path and split up at the trench. Root went behind several rocks that sloped up to a small landing. It provided cover and gave her the high ground. Shaw secreted herself across from the rocks in dense foliage. They went over last minute prep.

"Root I want to wait and let this play out _except_ if they start marching people toward the trench. We can't let any of the perps use whoever their victims are as shields. We also can't let them get an advantage by getting any captives near the trench. Agreed?"

"Absolutely Sam, if they threaten any captives we should act but I'd like to see if play out as well. I think there's a good chance we're either dealing with the drug cartel or illegals. There's a good chance everyone will be speaking Spanish and, while we each can muddle through and understand it mostly it will slow us down.

“She can help us by translating so our focus can be on the action.”

“Agreed.”

“Can you hear me?”

_Yes and I will translate any and all conversation you need to know._

“Sam, I hear something, sounds like a motorcycle…. more than one.”

“I hear it too, it’s showtime.”

The sound in the distance gradually became a dull roar increasing in volume until reminiscent of Daytona during Speed Week. Finally the lead bike came around where the rocks began. Driven by a nondescript dark haired man in his 30’s. Wearing tanned vest over camo, he was followed by five bikers (dressed identically), a 30 foot box truck and finally a green Hummer. The truck had to be 25 years old and it’s original white color had long since gone to gray.

The bikers slowed just shy of where the trench began and looked back to the Hummer as if awaiting instructions. The SUV stayed a good 50 feet back of the rear of the truck and parked at an odd angle to the rest of the convoy. The Hummer’s four doors flew open and three men dressed like the bikers exited. They all were armed with AR’s.

The three took up positions in a semi-circle ten feet behind the rear of the truck. The bikers dismounted, pulled AR’s similar to the first three and took up positions on the first three’s flank. The truck was shut off then the two occupants, similarly armed, exited the cab and joined the group. All held their weapons loosely at their sides.

From the rear passenger side of the Hummer the leader finally emerged. Besides his obvious demeanor, his rank was obvious from the black vest over camo instead of tan and lack of semi-automatic rifle. Armed with only a military grade .45, he approached the group and nodded. The others raised their weapons to the ready and the leader approached the rear of the truck, pulled the locking lever and opened the rear.

Neither Root nor Shaw could see inside the truck’s rear compartment, but were not surprised when the first occupant stumbled out.

“Illegals.” Root’s whisper got a muffled assent from Shaw. “The coyotes bring them over and are killing them. It must be easier than leaving potential witnesses.”

“Well not this time” Shaw growled, “maybe we should give them a taste of their own medicine.”

“Kneecaps, Sameen, unless absolutely necessary. Let the system have them. We just want to prevent the murders.”

Both raised their Uzi’s and attached the noise suppressors. As the rear of the truck emptied the leader commanded them in Spanish to walk two by two toward the trench. Root had slightly better sight lines and quickly tallied the victims.

“32 Sam.”

“Shit. I want to kill these bastards Root.”

“So do I Sam, but they’re only the foot-soldiers. With the possible exception of Mr. Black Vest.”

“I noticed, and if anything goes pear-shaped, he will be getting one in the head.” Her tone told Root any argument would be senseless and, quite frankly, she didn’t think differently.

“Sam, they’ll clear the bikes about 20 feet from the start of the trench I’m guessing they’ll herd the group toward my side but all the soldiers should be clear of the bikes before the beginning reaches the kill zone. On my mark we go front to back.”

“Roger that.”

The procession proceeded much like Root guessed, with the group queueing up closer to the rocks than the foliage. As the death march approached the beginning of the trench, Root waited briefly, then-

“Now.”

Sounds like slightly loud coughs punctuated the sounds of the coyotes dropping as their knees were shot out from under them. The moans began immediately and the intended victims slowed in confusion at the carnage happening around them. As Root reached the fifth of her targets and squeezed off the two rounds that kneecapped him, the leader in the black vest turned and saw the glint of sunlight off an earring. It was just enough to allow him to locate the shadowy figure up in the rocks, raise his .45 and…

The gun flew from his hand as his head partially exploded. Root, surprised, looked behind him as Shaw walked up on the body from behind. Stopping over the obviously dead leader, Shaw shook her head, then emptied the clip into what remained of his head. Fortunately, she was down to four rounds in her clip.

She slammed a fresh clip in the Uzi and pocketed the spent one as Root cleared the rocks and came up to her. Before they turned to the Illegals, Shaw wrapped her left arm around Root’s waist, pulled her in and kissed her. _Violently and passionately._

“No one hurts my girl… except me of course…”

Root reached for Sameen, ran her fingers through her hair as she pulled _her_ girl back in for one more brief kiss.

“My hero.” Root smiled and nodded at the chaos they had just wrought. “We need to clean this up, call the authorities and get out of here.”

“Roger that.”

The two predators walked among the coyotes, zip tying each as tightly _and_ painfully as they could. Once all eleven surviving outlaws were secured, they approached the confused and panicked group that had been herded off the truck. Finding several men and two women who didn’t look hysterical, they explained in broken Spanish that they were on their own but that Root and Shaw were alerting the authorities.

“You can stay or try to escape- but if anyone asks, just tell them they started arguing and shot each other.” Shaw knew there was no way that story would hold, but it would throw anyone off track long enough for the two of them to be long gone.

As they headed back to the Escalade, Shaw noticed the rear hatch of the Hummer was open. _I don’t remember anyone going back and opening that_. She looked around, certain all the hostiles were accounted for, shook her head and continued with Root to their SUV. Climbing in, they looked at each other and smiled, both relief and excitement in each’s eyes. The Escalade slowly made it’s way past the Illegals and headed back toward Winslow.

Neither noticed the drone hovering about 50 feet over their heads as they returned to the vehicle and began the trip back. Nor did they notice the tiny black tracking device that was secured to the roof of the Escalade. The drone headed off in pursuit of the Escalade, only to fall quickly behind as Shaw hurried to get back to Gen, Bear and their life.


	4. Chapter 4

_“Puta! Estas muerto!”_

Raphael Munoz was enraged… barely keeping it together. He had sat back 15 minutes earlier to check on the delivery, only to watch it blown up in less than two minutes by a pair of _putanas_ that appeared out of nowhere. They ambushed and took down eleven of his best, but Mito…. Tears blurred Munoz’s vision as he processed that bitch’s murdering his little brother.

The Hummer had been parked at the perfect angle for the camera to capture all the action. What should have been a normal drop and dispose had turned into his worst nightmare just seconds after _las vacas_ had been herded from the truck. The scene suddenly transformed from normal to disastrous as without warning his soldiers began to drop to the ground grabbing at their knees in pain.

Mito was at the rear of the procession but in the left front of the screen as Munoz watched. He turned and acquired a target out of view. However, before he could finish raising his weapon to return fire, blood geysered from the left side of his head. As the gun went flying and Mito fell to the ground, a figure in black appeared from some brush less than 50 feet away. She walked rapidly to Mito, looked down and emptied her gun into his head.

Munoz screamed at the screen as his little brother, and only friend was butchered by this, this _perra_. Then, another one appeared over his brother’s body, wrapped her arm around the murdering bitch and _kissed_ her! His rage boiled over and he jumped from the office chair screaming.

“ _Brujas!_ I will slit your throats and drink your blood!”

As rage threatened to engulf him, Munoz regained enough of his equilibrium to grab the console next to the computer. Pressing a button, he remotely opened the hatch on the Hummer, activated the drone in the rear compartment and grabbed the joystick. Maneuvering it out of the back of the SUV, he piloted it up to about one hundred feet and reconned the area. Behind the front-end loader, he spotted a silver SUV.

Maneuvering the drone for a better look took seconds and he snapped a couple shots of the license plates, then zeroed in on the dash until the VIN # came into focus. After taking several more images of the vehicle he maneuvered the drone until he got several clear pics of Root and Shaw as they zip-tied his men, spoke to several of the occupants of the truck and began to pack up.

Less than a minute before they returned to the Escalade, Munoz had an idea. He directed the drone to the roof of the vehicle, dropped it down until it rested on the roof just behind the moonroof and activated tracking mode. The drone release a tiny magnetic disc, black in color and smaller than a quarter.

While tracking range was less than a mile, Munoz knew he could have one of his informants in the area get close enough to find out more about the cows that had just entered a fight they wouldn’t live to regret… at least not for very long.

Grabbing his cell phone, he made three calls, then sat back to await the information he sought. An hour later his phone rang.  
“Bueno.”

“La Posada, Winslow.”

“Siguelos. Sigilo.”

“Si.”

Munoz was several hundred miles from Winslow, but had a soldier there who had done some excellent work in the past. He reached again for the cell phone, found his contact and called.

“Bueno, oh hello Padrino. What can I do?”

“I need an Escalade’s OnStar hacked- fast.”

“Where?”

“La Posada, Winslow.”

“No GM dealerships, but I know a guy who works for the Ford store. If we could get them to bring the Escalade there, I think we could do something.”

“50K if you can get it done.”

“Dios! This must be big.”

“You have no idea.”

“I will see to it.”

“You’re a loyal friend, Carlos, I won’t forget.”

As the call disconnected, Carlos Alvarez trembled slightly. Implicit in the statement was not only Munoz’s gratitude, but with it a threat. However this went down, Padrino would remember.

….

Shaw pulled into La Posada’s parking lot and sighed. Looking at Root, she felt some of the tension- and leftover adrenaline leaving her body.

“What I’d like is a shower, a nap and a nice bout in our room. What I think is we should do is get the hell out of Dodge.”

Root looked over with raised eyebrows. Her trademark smirk was noticeably absent.

“Agreed. Let’s get Gen and Bear and head on out. Do you think finishing the trip is a good idea?”

“I think we’ll be fine as long as we can get out of Winslow before tomorrow. Any authorities that develop an interest in us won’t be interested in searching for us immediately. They’ll take at least a day to sort out what happened out there.”

“OK, let’s go.” Root headed in while Shaw checked the rear compartment and made sure it was locked.

Fifteen minutes later, the four were headed out into La Posada’s parking lot. Five minutes after that they were on their way to the freeway. As they turned onto the entrance ramp to I40 West, Shaw felt the car shift and simultaneously heard two muffled bangs.

“Damn! We have a flat.” She pulled into the distress lane, parked and exited the Escalade. Looking toward the front end, she noticed the driver’s side front tire had a large piece of what appeared to be scrap steel sticking out of the sidewall. Shaking her head, she looked back in at Root and Gen and shrugged.

“It’ll be a little while, I will need to change this tire.”

Root climbed out of the passenger seat, slammed the door and started around the front. Looking down she frowned then leaned against the fender.

"Sameen, this side is flat too. We're going to need a tow truck.”

Shaw came around the front, huffed and took out her cell. Less than half a mile to the nearest car repair place. Calling she explained her problem, only to be told,

"Sorry we're closed but I know the Ford Dealer has late service hours."

Shaw disconnected then called the Ford store. At the repair shop she called first, the owner looked at Alvarez who handed him two crisp $100 bills.

"Nicely done- now forget this happened."

Alvarez left immediately and once in his car made another call. He listened for fifteen seconds, smiled and disconnected.

At the entrance ramp where the Escalade sat disabled, Shaw frowned into the phone.

“I need this fixed today, I don’t particularly care how much it costs. Hell, tires for this thing are $250 each- I’ll pay you guys a grand if you can get us on the road tonight. Ok, thanks.

“They’re sending a tow truck, they’ll have it done by 9:00 tonight. It’s 6:30, we can go over to the steakhouse and eat dinner, then get a ride. Or we could go back into La Posada and get room service. Up to you guys.”

“Steakhouse.” Root and Gen said it simultaneously. Shaw smiled and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Two hours later, the three and Bear left the steakhouse and hopped in the minivan provided by a Winslow shuttle service. Gen was still giggling and couldn’t resist hugging Bear.

“So do you think they believed us that Bear’s a service dog? Or was it the money Root slipped the hostess?”

Shaw looked over at Root then back at Gen and Bear. “He is a service dog Gen. In the past his presence provided a calming influence on me when I wanted to strangle our friend over here.” She smiled and winked at Root.

“I could make a comment here Sameen, but I will refrain.” Root leered at Shaw who pretended not to notice. The only sign that she was tracking was the slight flush creeping up her neck.

“Shut it.”

The shuttle arrived at the Ford dealership within fifteen minutes and Shaw went in to see the service manager. Since the rest of the store had closed a little after eight, the manager was obviously waiting just for them. Shaw smiled as she approached the middle-aged Hispanic man and shook his hand.

“Thanks so much for doing this. We’re really on a tight schedule and wanted to get on the road tonight.”

“You’re quite welcome, your bill as we agreed on is $1000.”

Shaw held out 10 $100 bills. “I hope you don’t mind cash.” She winked at the manager.

“Not at all ma’am. Thank you.”

As the Escalade pulled out of the dealership and headed for the freeway, Root looked over at Shaw.

“Sam, how much of that cash will he put in his pocket?”

“He can pocket all of it for all I care, he got us back on the road.”

Back at the dealership, Alvarez came out of the back office and approached the manager.

“El Padrino will be very happy with your efforts, Jorge. Now explain how this works so I can relay the information to him.”

“I installed a device on the side of the OnStar module at the point where the power cable comes in. It is less than 2 inches square and is automatically powered by the vehicles electrical system. The net effect is the same as the cloning apps that are used to bluejack someone’s cell phone.

“Every time a signal is sent to OnStar the cloning device automatically sends it to any bluetooth device of the user’s choosing. In addition, any conversation in the cabin can be listened in on whenever the user wants. It’s almost 100% undetectable since the signals leaving the unit are simultaneous. You could use this to track a vehicle theoretically forever unless the module needs replacement.”

Alvarez removed a wad of cash from his pocket and pressed it into Jorge’s hand. “There’s $5000 here, whatever you didn’t use to purchase the device is yours.”

“Your too generous, Senor Alvarez. This is way too much money.”

“It’s more than just for services, El Padrino appreciates your loyalty and your discretion. Please tell no one about this.”

“As you wish Senor.”

As Alvarez left the dealership he called Munoz.

“You’re all set. I texted you instructions on how to hack into their OnStar system. You can track their every move and even listen in on their conversations without being detected. I also sent you a link to the app to track with FAQ’s and more detailed instructions.”

“Excellent, Carlos, I appreciate what you’ve done and I’ll remember your going above and beyond.”

“My pleasure Padrino.”

Munoz sat back in his office chair and began to plan avenging Mito’s murder.


	5. Chapter 5

“This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”

Gen couldn’t stop smiling as they looked out from the Observation Area of the southern rim. The Grand Canyon seemed to stretch on forever, shadows painting areas with different hues of earth tones and every so often an outcropping of greenery as if God had flavored the view while creating His recipe for the awesome expanse of images.

“It certainly is spectacular, Gen, do you want to walk around and check out the area?” Root was wrapped in the light jacket she’d brought never considering the temperature drop that went with the altitude. It had gone from 75 degrees when they started that morning to in the 50’s. Shaw came out of the Welcome Center with a bag and a smirk.

“I think someone forgot her coat. Here, I got you a present.” Shaw held out the bag.

Root looked at her quizzically, then peeked in the bag. A genuine smile lit her face.

“Sameen….. how thoughtful.” She pulled a bulky, hooded sweatshirt from the bag.

“I think it’s even big enough to go over that poor excuse for a jacket you’re wearing.” Shaw rolled her eyes and winked.

Root slipped the garment on, then zipped it up. “It feels glorious, Sam, but can you check for any tags? I don’t want to look dorky.”

“Well, you are a dork, but you couldn’t _look_ dorky if you tried.” Shaw moved in close, grabbed the collar of Root’s sweatshirt and adjusted it slightly. Then she leaned in on tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips across Root’s.

“Ok, that’s enough, I am walking around and checking out the area.” Gen smiled at them and walked away, stopping about 50 feet down to read one of the informational signs posted along the path. Root called after her.

“Not too far Gen, we want to keep an eye on you.”

“It’s you guys that need the eye kept on them,” Gen called over her shoulder. “Fine, I won’t go far.”

The group spent several hours exploring, taking pictures and generally doing things ordinary tourists do. Shaw reflected on the normalcy as they were headed back to the Escalade. Looking west as the sun painted the sky shades of red and yellow while casting shadows that grew longer and longer, she basked in the feeling.

_This is nice, I like it._

Gen’s smile stretched ear to ear as she climbed into the back with Bear, who was apparently sick of wearing the Service Dog vest they had picked up for him along the way. Gen removed the vest and retrieved a marrow bone from her backpack. As she unwrapped it Bear’s eyes followed her every move.

Finished, Gen offered the bone to Bear who immediately lay down between the bucket seats and happily munched away. As Shaw started the Escalade and pulled out of the parking lot, Gen piped up from the back seat.

“Are we there yet?”

……..

The group drove straight through on the return trip, pulling into a drive thru for dinner and stopping once for gas and a short potty break. As they approached the gated entrance to the place that had already begun to feel like a real home, Root activated an app on her phone. Immediately lights went on inside and around the building, bathing it in a comfortable, welcoming glow.

As Shaw maneuvered the SUV into the garage, Root glanced at Gen, sleeping peacefully in her seat. Looking over at Sameen, she asked, “should I wake her?”

Shaw rolled her eyes, smiled and shook her head. “She’s still small enough to carry. I’ll take her up and tuck her in.”

“Just make sure you get right back so I can tuck you in.” Roots voice dripped innuendo.

As a slight flush crept up Shaw’s cheeks, she tilted her head at Root. “Aren’t you exhausted?’

“No, just a little tired. But you drove the entire trip and I think that kind of effort deserves a reward.” Root followed her statement up with her trademark wink, which always served to make Shaw laugh while causing her heart to clench at the same time.

“Be right there.” She came around to the passenger side, opened the door and picked up Gen. Root opened the door to the house and went back to retrieve their gear. Bear looked around and bounded out of the back and trotted into the finished basement.

Shaw carried Gen up two flights of stairs, got her in bed and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Smiling at how domesticated she had become, she turned out Gen’s light and headed back to the main floor.

It couldn’t have taken ten minutes, but by the time she entered the master bedroom the sheets had been turned down, several candles were burning and a glass of wine was on the nightstand on Shaw’s side of the bed. The door to the bathroom was closed but the light was on and Shaw could hear the water running in the sink.

As she sat on the side of the bed and picked up the wine glass, the water stopped. Sameen heard the sound of the door opening and glanced over. Her breath caught in her throat. Root slipped out of the bathroom and walked over to where Sameen was sitting. She wore a floor length nightgown that might have been completely see-thru in daylight but shimmered with promise in the candlelight.

Sameen had trouble speaking. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Root.

“God, you’re beautiful. I can’t believe I hit the jackpot.” Shaw reached for Root’s hand after setting the wine back on the nightstand.

“Ready for your reward, Sameen?” Root’s smile was a mixture of mirth, lust and love.

“I was born ready.”

…..

Several hundred miles away, just south of the Rio Grande, Raphael Munoz sat at his computer. Next to him was Enrique Romas, besides Mito, his best friend and confidante. Romas had been with him when Mito was still a kid, and Munoz was just coming up in the gangs that ran the border towns with the cartels’ blessings. Romas was the cerebral one. Munoz began as an enforcer but with his sharp mind and ambition was mixed with a ruthlessness that moved him up the ranks quickly.

Exploiting every opportunity, Munoz took over the top spot in one of the gangs around Nogales. Within six weeks he had found another ambitious _pandillero_ and offered him the leadership. Using the contacts and money he made as he rose up the ladder, Munoz branched out on his own, moving to Agua Prieta, and entering the world of human trafficking.

His coyotes delivered those seeking a better life across the porous border into _los Estados Unidos_ while his lieutenants kept watchful eyes for single females and children who could be sold into sex slavery or used as drug mules for the cartels. His ambition, foresight and ruthlessness allowed him to corner more than 75% of the trafficking business along the Arizona and New Mexico borders within five years.

When Mito entered the business, Raphael gave him the safest and easiest tasks. Mito surprised Munoz with both his sharp mind and his ability to think on his feet. Eventually, Munoz entrusted Mito with more and more responsibility. Within a few months Mito had gradually assumed control of the coyotes, leaving Romas the freedom to concentrate on the sex trafficking and drug mule part of the operation.

Mito’s death left a hole in Munoz’s operation, but the rage he felt was for the loss of his little brother. As he slammed the door of the office moments after witnessing Mito’s murder, he could think of little but immediate and savage revenge. He immediately called Enrique who was at the warehouse in Auga Prieta that served as unofficial headquarters for the operation.

“The _putantas_ murdered Mito! I want them dead. Now.”

“I’m on my way.”

By the time Romas arrived, Munoz had regained some of his self-control. He and Enrique sat and talked through the afternoon and into the evening. When Romas left Munoz gave him a heartfelt hug.

“Gracias, amigo. Talking to you helped- more than you’ll ever know.”

“He was like family to me Rafe, I loved him too. But I really believe the best way to avenge him is to plan an action that will also send a message to anyone considering challenging your absolute control of this industry.”

“I agree. When I finish with the _brujas_ and their families it will instill fear along the entire border.”

“Just remember Padrino, revenge is a dish best served cold.”

“Bueno.”


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Tillman looked up from the report she’d been reading and smiled.

“Come in you two, how’d everything go in Arizona?”

Shaw nodded once. “It was fun, except for the number.”

Tillman’s eyes got very wide. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Doc, I think it’s better for you not to know. Everything turned out okay but it was a pretty crappy situation.”

Root sat down with a slightly odd smile and hesitated before speaking.

“As bad as it was, Dr. Tillman, it did show me that I’m almost fully recovered. The skills and reactions were close to where I need them to be. I was a little more worn out by all the excitement though.”

“That’s to be expected, Ms. Groves. You’re still recovering from trauma that would have killed most people. Now let’s get you in for your examination.”

Root was silent, only smiling faintly at the doctor. She stood and walked over to the examination room and closed the door behind her. Dr. Tillman looked at Shaw.

“What’s the matter with Ms. Groves?"

Sameen shrugged. “I don’t think anything’s wrong with her, she’s just processing a different reality. In the past, numbers were just part of the job and while we worked together and played together, we really didn’t have a _relationship_.

“Now when we work together we may be a little more focused on each other. It’s something we will have to adjust to because ‘having your back’ takes on a little more intense meaning now. It’s what I was talking about way back when Root and I had an argument about returning to working the numbers.

“One of the perps might have gotten the drop on her out there. I intervened but I think the situation showed her what I was talking about. It’s gone from theoretical to reality. She has to process everything.

“She will.”

“I hope you’re right Ms. Shaw, I’d hate to see anything happen to her.”

“You’re not the only one, doc.”

……

A week had passed since the trip to Arizona. Root and Shaw settled into the routine that approached normal without quite arriving. Gen attended a virtual school while working with the Native American kids at the hospital. She also learned highly advanced coding (with a dash of hacking thrown in) from Root and self-defense from Shaw. Gen’s classes were only abnormal in the fact that they were college prep at Grade 12 level and she was just 14. (And the hacking and self-defense.)

Root’s PT was down to twice weekly with evals scheduled every other week. Shaw was determined to hone Root’s fighting skills (mediocre at best if you took her guns and her taser away) to a level where she could take care of herself, unarmed, in any situation. Root, for her part, was a willing, if not enthusiastic participant.

“I get that you like to get your hands on me Sameen,” Root said during one of their sessions, “but you realize with _her_ in my ear again it’s unlikely I would ever get caught in a situation where I’d need to be as badass as you.”

“You need to be prepared for absolutely anything Root- even the Machine can’t help in some situations. Remember Winslow, that goon might have gotten the drop on you simply because his reactions were way better than we, or anyone, could have anticipated.”

“But he was almost 50 feet away from me, and you took him out.”

“The principle doesn’t change Root, we have to be prepared for every contingency.”

“They teach that in the ISA?”

“Yes, but also in the Marines. It’s just common sense when you’re going out into a dangerous situation that you prepare for anything that could possibly happen. Then practice for it over and over until it’s second nature. That way, if anything happens, you act without thinking. Stopping to think can be fatal.”

…..

Twice weekly, Shaw stopped at a truck stop off I25 to top off the Escalade. She liked their doughnuts and bought a dozen regularly. Root and Gen would stay in the SUV while Sameen went in and looked over the inventory, then always came out with the exact same order. Root teased her about it.

“Why don’t you just have them put the same order together on Monday and Friday Sam? That way you don’t have to pretend you’re looking over the selection. You always get four crawlers, four chocolate frosted and four jelly filled.”

“You never know when they may come up with a new doughnut that needs a taste test. You know they allow you to sample some when you’re ordering.”

“Yes, you’ve said that over and over. I’m fine with what you get.”

“Whatever.”

The next Friday, as they pulled into the truck stop a gray Ford pickup was sitting at the pump two islands over from Shaw’s normal stop. She liked parking on the outside- going back to her days in ISA when she always wanted a clean exit point. The truck had stopped almost between the two sets of pumps forcing the driver to stretch the hose to access the fuel tank. Shaw climbed out, put in her card, and began to fill the tank. She glanced back at the Escalade and said, “Going in.”

She noticed in passing that the truck had stopped in the one spot that blocked the Escalade’s view of the store (and conversely, her view of the Escalade). Thinking little of it, Shaw continued into the store and headed for the doughnuts.

As she entered the store, a choreographed drama began as a white cargo van pulled into the spot between the Escalade and the pickup. Two men hopped out of the van and approached the truck. Pulling the passenger door open, they yanked a teenage girl from the front seat and began to drag her toward the van.

Root hopped from the Escalade and called out, “Hey, leave her alone. What are you…..”

The sentence never finished as she felt something poke into her neck. Instantly, a million volts shot through and paralyzed her. As she lay twitching just outside the Escalade, another man jumped from the cargo van and opened the rear door on Bear’s side. As the Malinois turned toward the invader, snarled and attacked, he bit down on the tactical bite sleeve the man was wearing.

Before he could switch to the other arm he was hit in the chest with a similar burst from another taser. Bear spun and went down, twitching.

Gen, who had looked at Root being tased in shock, turned to Bear and opened her mouth to scream. The same man reached across the bucket seat and jolted Gen into unconsciousness. The entire event played out in less than 90 seconds. The men grabbed Root and Gen, threw them in the back of the cargo van and headed out of the station.

The young girl took hopped back into the pickup, slid into the passenger seat and drove out of the station in the opposite direction from the van.

Shaw, blissfully unaware was finishing her order when the machine chirped in her ear. _Get to the Escalade, now. Root and Gen in trouble._

Shaw dropped the box of doughnuts and sprinted outside. The only thing that seemed amiss was the rear driver’s side door appeared ajar. As Sameen closed the distance to the SUV she couldn’t see any activity inside. Racing to the vehicle, she jerked her door open and yelled.

“Root, Gen!” She heard a soft whine from the back seat and looked behind the driver’s seat. Bear lay on the floor between the seats, still twitching slightly. Shaw cradled the gas pump, started the SUV and headed out.

“Which way? Now, machine, we don’t have time!” Desperation tinged her voice as she waited, uncertain where to go.

_Left, but I lost them already._

“How could you?! It’s Root and Gen!!”

_The van took a couple of turns and headed into an area south of here that has no coverage. And the inside of the van is lined like a Faraday cage so tracking her impossible at this moment. Will keep trying._

“Tell me what happened.” As the machine relayed the events that transpired in the gas station Shaw felt the tendrils of full blown panic beginning to caress her insides. When it mentioned the young girl in the pickup Shaw pounced.

“Find her, it’s a starting point.”

_Five miles northwest of here, sending coordinates. Truck abandoned, subject on foot. Headed into residential area with little coverage. Sending picture._

Shaw glanced at the photo and hopped in the Escalade, racing off to locate the truck. When she pulled up to the location the Machine had given, it appeared the truck had not necessarily been abandoned, just parked in a convenient spot so the driver could access it without heading into a cul-de-sac which could limit any escape.

After examining the truck, Shaw placed a miniature tracker on it and headed into the area. Desperate to find a link, any link, she started knocking on doors. There were 10 houses on the short access road that seemed quiet in the middle of the afternoon. First house- no answer. At the 2nd house a sixty-something lady peeked out from the drapes, saw Sameen was alone and answered the door.

“I’m really sorry to disturb you miss, but there was an accident and I was told this girl was a witness. Do you recognize her?”

Squinting at the image on Shaw’s phone, the lady nodded. “That’s the Baker girl. She lives in the white house over there.” The lady indicated a house across the street and two houses further down the access road.

Shaw headed across the road with a glance back over her shoulder, “Thanks.”

As she approached the front door, it opened and her witness came flying out, obviously in a hurry. Shaw held up her hand and said, “Whoa, FBI. I’ve got a couple of questions for you.”

The girl stared at Shaw for a few seconds, debating flight. Then, as Shaw pulled her nano from her jeans, the girl gasped and turned to head back inside.

“I can put you down with two in the knees, or you can talk to me.”

The girl hesitated, then turned. “Do I have to give the truck and the money back?”

Shaw frowned, then replied, “You’d better tell me what happened.”

“A man came up to me yesterday after school. He said if I just helped him he’d pay me $500 and I could keep the truck. I realize it’s old, but I never had anything to drive and my parents have been gone for over a year. I should have known it was too good to be true.”  
“Did you know this man?”

“Never saw him before, but he said he’d be in touch. He gave me this so I could be contacted by him.” The girl held out a burner phone. Shaw took it and flipped through the menu.

“What did he tell you _exactly_ that you should do?”

“He said he’d call when I was to drive into the station and park exactly where he showed me to park. I told him it would be hard to put gas in there, but he was insistent. He also said someone was going to come over while the truck was fueling and pull me out like he was attacking me.

“He said his people were trying to rescue those women from a cult and once they went toward the SUV I could leave. Then I could keep the truck. Oh, he said I should dump the phone- I just hadn’t gotten around to it.”

“I’ll keep the phone- and I may contact you again. What’s your name?”

“Shelly Baker.”

“Well, Shelly, you’ve gotten yourself mixed up with a group that probably will come looking for you to eliminate any witnesses to their little operation. I’d get away from here as fast as I could if I were you.”

“Should I call the police?”

“You can try but I don’t know enough about this to tell you if they’re trustworthy.”

“Great.” She turned to go back in her house. Shaw had an idea.

“Wait. Here’s a different burner phone. If they come looking for you and you’re able, call #1 in contacts. I may be able to help.”

Shelly looked at Shaw skeptically, “You’re not really FBI, are you?”

“Does it matter? You were in the wrong place at the wrong time and I don’t like seeing young girls get taken advantage of.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Shaw headed out of the cul-de-sac and approached the Escalade. As she opened the door, she noticed still another phone stuck under her front windshield wiper. Shaw opened the phone, saw it was yet another burner and scanned the settings. _Nothing._ She pulled her phone and began to call Finch when the burner vibrated.

“What?”

“ _Puta!_ I have your girlfriend and your child. I am going to slit their throats and drink their blood. You will live with the knowledge you killed them when you murdered my brother.”

Shaw hesitated briefly, mind racing. _He wants revenge for something. Who got killed….Oh._ She decided to stall for time.

“Who is this? I haven’t murdered anyone. Unless you count the scumbag who was going to execute a couple of dozen people who’s only crime was wanting a better life.”

“ _Hijo de puta!_ You murdering bitch. You will regret ever seeing those people.”

“You have no idea who you’re talking to dummy. I’m a sociopath. I don’t regret, in fact I don’t feel. If you want them, you can have them.”

Shaw hung up, then started shaking uncontrollably. _Oh God, I hope this works._

After five minutes, Shaw was starting to lose it, then the phone lit up again. Shaw let it ring a few times, took several deep breaths and answered.

“So now you’re going to try and annoy me to death, is that it?”

“Listen, Bruja, I will destroy you and everything and everyone you care about. YOU DON”T HANG UP ON ME!”

“Oh go fuck yourself.” She disconnected again.

On the other end, Raphael was becoming apoplectic. He slammed the phone down and stomped around the office for several minutes. Suddenly, his phone lit up as a call came in from the number he had just called. From a phone that was supposed to be unable to access his number.

“What the hell?”

“You don’t know who you’re messing with, little man. I told you I don’t have feelings, but I am aware of justice. If you’re so big and bad why don’t you take me and not some little kid. In fact, I’d so like to cut off your balls that I’d trade me for the kid just so you could have a fair shot.

“If I’m correct, however, your lack of manhood would keep you from ever letting go of a child when you couldn’t possibly satisfy an adult woman.”

Shaw held her breath, and her gamble paid off.

“Eeyaah! Puta, I will drink your blood instead. You’ll come by yourself where I tell you and we will switch. Then I will peel the skin off your girlfriend in front of you and then slit your throat and watch you slowly die.”

“Oh, be careful, you’re scaring me. Your pathetic with your empty threats. I won’t need anything but my bare hands to make you squeal for your madre, you piece of shit.”

“Muerto!” Munoz slammed down the phone.


	7. Chapter 7

Shaw disconnected and walked around to the back of the Escalade. She leaned over and threw up the little left in her stomach. As she wiped her mouth she again began to shake uncontrollably. _Breathe, just breathe for a minute. He bought it- you have time to formulate a plan._

Sameen Shaw was not afraid to die. Several years ago, she would have said she wasn’t afraid of anything. Then came Root and Gen and everything changed. She had a weak spot but also knew if she exposed it, it might be exploited. She had a gut feeling that whoever was on the other end of the phone had gotten used to being in control.

Conversely, he wasn’t used to being defied, and it might spook him. That it had so far only gave Shaw the tiniest sliver of hope, but prying that into an opportunity would take planning, luck and possibly help. What to do?

She had to think, strategize and act- if she sat back and considered the situation it could paralyze her. She pushed the thoughts of Root and Gen to the back of her mind and fell back on the years of training that got her through the Marines and the ISA. She could probably formulate responses based on where he would insist they eventually met up, but until she had a destination she was limited in her actions.

_How did they track us so easily? They knew we’d be at the gas station, we stop there twice a week. They knew I was at the girl’s house, they put the phone on the windshield...There’s a tracker on the Escalade._

“Can you hear me?” _Yes._ “They put a tracking device on the Escalade somehow. Can you scan the car and locate it?” _Possibly._

Several minutes went by. The Machine was silent. Then…

_Press the OnStar button on the mirror._ Shaw did as asked. _Someone hacked the OnStar system, whenever any data is transmitted, instead of one signal to OnStar, there are two signals outgoing, one is an encrypted app that looks like what Admin developed to clone other cell phones. Undetectable unless one specifically searches for it._

“Can you locate the source in the car? Can you locate the source of the app?”

_No, it appears the OnStar module itself has been compromised somehow. You may have to switch vehicles to escape it._

“But if we stay with the Escalade, knowing they can track us, it gives us a slight advantage in that they don’t know we know. Wait, can you tell if they can hear any conversation in the vehicle?"

_It appears the communication mic can be accessed at any time to listen in on conversation._

“I have to switch vehicles then.

"We can’t call John, he’s not done rehabbing, Finch is out but that only leaves Lionel and I don’t know if he can handle what we’re going to need to…….”

Shaw paused, thinking hard.

“How far is Colorado Springs from here?”

_Five hour drive, about 350 miles._

Shaw pulled her phone out and searched briefly. She selected a number and pressed send. After three rings-

“Very few people in the world have this number- who is this?”

“Hi Elizabeth."

“Shaw? Is that really you?”

“Yeah, and I hate to skip pleasantries but I’m in some serious shit.”

“Well, there’s time for this, Shaw, I’m really sorry about Root.”

“That’s nice Elizabeth, but Root’s not dead.”

“What?!”

“Unfortunately, if I don’t get some help and quick, I’m afraid she may be.”

“I can be at the airport in an hour or so, where do you need me?”

“Actually, I’m just outside of Santa Fe right now, so you might be faster driving.”

“Maybe you’d better slow down and tell me what’s going on.”

So Shaw did. She spoke uninterrupted for ten minutes, the only sound from the other end a gasp when Ellie heard that John was still alive as well. When she finished her update she stopped and there was silence for thirty seconds or so. Finally, Ellie spoke up.

“So it sounds like you want to kamikaze into an undetermined location against an undetermined number of bad guys with me as your only back-up.”

“I guess that’s about it.”

“What could go wrong? I can be there in less than five hours, but if destination changes we can adjust on the fly. Just let me know. Also, I may have some reinforcements for you in the area of advanced weaponry. We’ll talk when I’m on the way. I’ve got to pack the Excursion but I’ll be headed toward you soon.”

“Thanks, Elizabeth.”

“Aw shit, Shaw, if my mom hadn’t been in that crash we might have ended up together. I always fantasized about it- among other things.”

Shaw stumbled for a response, uncomfortable with the direction but reminding herself that was before the Stock Exchange, before Samaritan had her, and before she thought Root was dead. Before she could say anything, Ellie spoke again.

“It’s OK Shaw, I know you and Root were…are… close.. closer than we ever were. I’m over it.”

“Thanks again-call me when you’re on the road and I’ll try to give you a more complete update.I have a stop to make to change rides.”

“Sure, bye.”

Elizabeth Ruben disconnected, then turned back toward the house. Before putting her phone away, she made a call.

“Brenda, can you come by and stay with mom for awhile? Like, several days? Something came up and I have to leave for as much as a week. You can? Thanks, babe, I’ll be gone by the time you get here. You’re the best.”

Ellie headed back to the house, ran in the door and went to her mom’s room. Her mother looked up as she came in, flushed and breathless.

“Something wrong, Elizabeth?”

“I have to go away for a few days, mom, something important came up. Brenda is coming over to stay with you.”

“I like her, honey, but you know she always looks at you funny. I can’t put my finger on it but…”

“You’ve said that before, mom, it’s probably the light off her glasses. Listen, she’ll be here later but I’ve got to run. I need to pack and hit the road in less than an hour.”

“Well, you better get going then, I’ll be fine. But you better not be gone too long, you know how lonely I get when you’re gone.”

"I'll be back before you know it."

Forty minutes later Ellie hit the road. She carried two changes of clothes, four sets of underwear and a toothbrush in her backpack. It rode on the passenger side floor with two Uzis and six 30 round clips. Two .45's rode on each side of the driver's seat and her Mossberg Maverick rode “shotgun".

She had pulled the back seat out and folded down the middle; barely enough room for the eight boxes containing her pride and joy.

….

Elizabeth Ruben wasn’t always a badass. Until she spent hours handcuffed to the inside of a shipping container- long enough to make peace with the fact that she was going to die- she had simply been a genius programmer/hacker who got in some trouble through no fault of her own. Her big mistake was in talking about an algorithm she was developing.

An unscrupulous co-worker decided she would steal the algorithm. Elizabeth was tased, drugged and kidnapped then left to die in a shipping container. Fifteen hours later, after she had resigned herself to dying alone, naked and handcuffed to a bar in the container, John Reese came to her rescue.

Her recovery was long and not without complications (a new fear of the dark among other issues). However as she began to emerge she realized she had been given a gift few had, a second chance.

She began helping John, her mysterious rescuer, initially using her skills as a programmer to go undercover at a systems development company. When she was almost killed by the number, John attempted unsuccessfully to dissuade her from continuing.

Shaken, but not deterred, Elizabeth refused to quit. Realizing she was serious, John and Finch began to equip her with the skills she would need to function in their world. Over the next several months Finch anonymously sharpened her hacking skills while John helped her learn the basics of self-defense, weapons, and forced entry.

Eventually, she got herself into trouble and was captured and handcuffed in a warehouse loaded with explosives. Reese was unable to get to her in time and she was forced to try her newly acquired lock picking skills to get out of the handcuffs.

She escaped after several failed attempts and managed to get clear of the warehouse seconds before it blew. Three brushes with death, three narrow escapes, and still Elizabeth Ruben would not abandon her quest to help John whenever needed.

Maybe she always _was_ a badass.

....

  
As she was integrated into Team Machine, she was acquainted with some of the other members. Shaw helped Elizabeth with several numbers and they discovered a mutual attraction to both danger and each other. Detective Fusco provided back-up on occasion. Elizabeth also became close to Detective Jos Carter until she was murdered by a member of HR.

Her relationship with Root was…. complicated. Root was a genius hacker- only Finch was her equal/superior. Her code was elegant and Elizabeth sometimes felt inadequate when the two were paired in a situation where both were required to program. On the other hand, Root’s social skills seemed lacking most times the two were together- leaving Elizabeth feeling like Root was a wayward child in need of direction.

Further complicating this relationship was a mutual attraction both tried to keep buried- with mixed results. When Elizabeth realized Root had feelings for Shaw that went far past the physical, and that Shaw, while not encouraging, did little to discourage Root, she made a conscious decision to back off.

Several months before Shaw was taken at the Stock Exchange, Elizabeth received a phone call from home. Her mother, Shannon had been severely injured in a car accident in Colorado. She was forced off the road by a drunk driver who’d gotten lost leaving a Cripple Creek casino late one night.

Her lightning reflexes kept her from hitting the swerving drunk head-on, however her only escape route launched her F250 off a several hundred foot drop. Miraculously, her truck landed on a fifteen foot outcropping of rock after falling about 50 feet. Unfortunately, it landed upside down on a large boulder which compressed the top into Shannon.

Shannon should have died- and probably would have if she hadn’t been on the phone with one of her friends from town. When Deb heard, “Oh, shit!” right before the call disconnected she contacted the sheriff’s department. Retracing her route home, a deputy noticed a tree that had been snapped off very recently. Discovering the wreckage, he notified EMS and mountain rescue.

Several harrowing hours later, Shannon was transported to Colorado Springs in very critical condition. Three fractured vertebrae, severe head trauma, broken collarbone, two fractures in her left arm, a broken leg and two cracked ribs (one of which punctured a lung) left her clinging to life.

Elizabeth was at one of the safe-houses listening to Root and Shaw bickering (again) when the call came in.

“Elizabeth, this is Deb Downs.” Ellie felt an immediate tightening in her chest.

“Is my mom OK?”

“There was a crash, she’s in bad shape. She’s in surgery at Penrose in the Springs.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Elizabeth walked to the balcony over where Root and Shaw were now engaged on the leather sofa.

“Hey, I need to get home fast, which one of you wants to take me to the airport?”

“What’s up?” It sounded like this came from Shaw but Elizabeth wasn’t certain.

“My mom- car crash, she’s….” Elizabeth’s voice broke and both Root and Shaw jumped up.

“Dead?” Root never had a filter.

“No but she’s in bad shape.. surgery in Colorado Springs.”

Root also was resourceful. “Let me call Harry.”

Five minutes later Root called up to the balcony where Shaw had joined Elizabeth.

“Finch is arranging a private jet to take you home, you have an hour and a half to get to Teterboro Airport in Jersey. This time of day, your best bet is on the bike.”

Root paused for a few seconds.

“Shaw can take you.”

Realizing what Root was saying, Elizabeth looked down, gratitude in her eyes.

“Thanks Root.”

“I hope you mom’s OK, Elizabeth.”

_No ‘Lizzy’ she noted._

Fifteen minutes later, bug out bag on her back, Elizabeth rode off on the back of Roots bike, Shaw driving.

Less than eight hours after that, Ellie arrived at the hospital. Debbie was waiting for her.

“Your mom made it through surgery- we’re waiting to see if she wakes up.”

Two days later, Shannon regained consciousness. That was the beginning.


	8. Chapter 8

Shaw made one phone call after talking to Elizabeth. The salesman who she had bought the Escalade from agreed to trade it in on a GMC Sierra with a ramp (“I need it now- as in inside of an hour). The salesman pulled some strings and the work was finished within ninety minutes. She also purchased a large cargo van and made arrangements to have it delivered immediately.

He balked at letting Shaw take the truck without signing any paperwork, but relented when she wire transferred the full cost of the cargo van plus $15,000 to the dealership and agreed to return within a week to complete everything. Of course it didn’t hurt that she told him he could mark up both the truck and the ramp enough to equal two full retail sales for him.

  
….

  
Elizabeth set the Excursion’s cruise control at 85. She knew time was of the essence, and she knew if any problems arose on the road she would get a text from an unknown source. As the miles between the cabin and Santa Fe flew by, she reflected on the danger ahead and the fact that she was looking forward to both seeing Shaw, and the possible excitement ahead.

_Admit it- you’ve missed the action._

While in Colorado helping with her mother’s recovery and rehab, Elizabeth had put her programming skills to work developing an AI-based weapons system. It consisted of arming drones and teaching them to attack only predetermined targets. The advantages were obvious but the obstacles were immense.

Months of development and simulations had resulted in apparent success- the only thing left for Elizabeth to do was field test the system. She had built several prototypes that failed and eight that had succeeded. Those eight were boxed and riding behind her.

She had called Shaw after getting on the interstate to strategize. Shaw’s reluctance to agree to using the drones as back-up gradually turned to acceptance as Elizabeth chronicled her development process and previous testing results.

“I can instruct them to attack all human targets in an area except for those specifically identified to be ignored. That way, any hostiles are attacked and all allies can be ignored. I have currently ability to program in up to six allies in any situation. That’s enough, right?”

Shaw hesitated, then responded.

“There should be only two people besides us- Gen and Root. As far as I’m concerned, anyone else can and should die.”

“I don’t count, Shaw, it considers me _Admin_ and as such, I’m never a target.”

“Sometimes you remind me of Root and Finch.”

“That’s high praise, coming from you.”

“I didn’t necessarily mean it as praise.” Elizabeth could hear the smile in Shaw’s voice.

“Whatever. I need every bit of detail on Root, Gen and yourself. Pictures, vitals, etc. Get the machine to upload all it has on all three of you to the number I’m texting you- it’s a burner that will automatically transfer all data to each drone. Then I will activate them when we are provided a contact point.

“When we arrive, I will need about ten minutes to activate all drones. I will set the kill area based on the area where the meeting occurs. I can set the zone to anything from 100 square feet to ten acres so whatever we face should be covered. The hard part will be sneaking these drones to the contact point.

“As long as we have less than five miles to walk, I can direct the drones to follow me across any area I can navigate. The Machine should be able to direct us to the place offering our best ambush point. Depending on how much we have to separate, you may have to come up with a stalling strategy.”

Shaw was silent on her end, processing Elizabeth’s words. A germ of an idea began to form in her mind.

“I have three electric dirt bikes at home- they don’t have more than a fifteen mile range, but you could take one and follow me in almost silently. As long as we stay within that five mile cushion you could either come in behind me or, ideally you could attack their flank if we can get you behind them. How fast do your drones travel?”

“They can cruise for five miles at 17.5 mph. If I stay at least a mile behind you, we would only be six minutes away. You can spend three minutes reconning your surroundings before you even get out of your vehicle. If what you said about this asshole is accurate, and I’m sure it is, he will want to draw out your suffering as long as possible.

“I should have time to get in position as long as we’ve read the situation correctly.”

Shaw took a deep breath. “That is the wild card. I’m going to get the bike and our ATV- I need to bring something for Gen to ‘escape’ on- they need to think my first priority is trading me for Gen. That keeps him thinking he’s controlling this- when he double crosses me and doesn’t trade for her, I can appear hesitant about how to proceed. It gives us more time.”

They each rode in silence for several minutes. Shaw was approaching the turnoff for home and began to go over her mental checklist.

“I’ll call you back when I have the bike and ATV.”

When Shaw arrived home she immediately loaded the ATV into the bed of the Sierra and loaded as much weaponry as she could reasonably conceal into the truck. She then retrieved one of the electric dirt bikes and set it where it could be easily loaded into the cargo van when it arrived. She tipped the driver $50 to put it in the van and awaited Elizabeth’s arrival.

After the driver left, Shaw called again.

I’m sending you coordinates for our house. I’ll meet you here if we don’t hear from anyone before you arrive.”

Elizabeth’s phone vibrated. Glancing down she frowned, then reset the cruise control for 90.

“Got ‘em. I can be there in less than two and a half hours.”

“See you then.” Shaw disconnected. She went over what little plan she had in her head, then decided to check on Bear. The Malanois lay where Shaw had carried him, on the bed Gen had insisted he have. He seemed to be recovering, but would need at least a day or two to fully regain his strength.

“Hey, Bear, I’m glad you’re going to be OK.” Shaw rubbed his head affectionately, then stood and checked both his food and water. Satisfied, she headed back to the finished basement, grabbed a bottle of water and headed out to the garage.

Shaw grabbed a cleaning kit and field stripped her Nano. Cleaning and reassembling her guns always allowed her to pass the time without worrying about what she couldn’t control. Whether it was awaiting a go order from Control, sitting at the safe house awaiting Root’s return or this situation, the simple act of maintaining her weapon was her therapy.

When the call finally came Shaw was ready. She waited fifteen seconds before answering, enough time to sow a small seed of doubt in the caller’s mind.

“I hope this is the last time asshat. I am really getting sick and tired of having to help you deal with your impotence issues. Are we doing this or can I get back to watching _Dirty Harry_?”

“Perra! I will enjoy watching you bleed out- after I make you watch your girlfriend suffer.”

“You don’t get it, do you? I’m a sociopath, I don’t do girlfriends- hell I don’t do friends. If I didn’t think you deserved to die as painfully as possible, I would’ve thrown this burner away the first time I heard your whiney voice.

“Look, I’ve got things to do. Either get this moving or I’m going back to my popcorn. Like I said, maricón, the only reason I answered is I figured you might trade the little girl for a shot at me. I don’t think Cerdos like you should be allowed around children.”

Silence. Shaw looked at the phone- he had disconnected. Nausea reared its ugly head as Shaw began to think she had overplayed her advantage. She finished the water in two gulps and wandered out of the garage afraid she might actually pass out.

Her personal phone rang. Elizabeth. Shaking Shaw answered.

“Elizabeth, Oh God, I may have blown it.”

“What happened Shaw? I’m only a few minutes away.”

“Shit, oh man, I …..” in the background Elizabeth heard what sounded like retching. After a minute or so Shaw’s voice returned only slightly stronger.

“I played it just like I had when he first called- indifferent except for the interest I showed in coming for him in exchange for Gen. We insulted each other but then he hung up on me. That was several minutes ago- I’m afraid I may have gone too far when I called him a fag…. Oh God, please….”

“Breathe, Shaw, you did what you thought was right. Give it a chance- you don’t know he won’t call back. I’m almost there. I think we should continue like we expect him to call with a location. That way, when he does, we’re ready. I’m coming up the access road- be at your location in less than a minute.”

Shaw put the phone in her pocket and walked along the driveway until she saw the gate. When the Excursion came over the hill, she activated the gate with her phone. As the Excursion approached, Shaw pointed at the guest parking area. Elizabeth sent the driver’s window down and Shaw walked up to it.

“Put it next to the cargo van. I had it delivered when I switched vehicles. I think it’s the best alternative for you- there’s plenty of room for your weaponry. It’s not going to stand out too much no matter where we go and it’s all wheel drive so it should go most anywhere.”

Elizabeth parked where Shaw indicated, then climbed out of the Excursion. She stood facing Shaw, uncertain how to greet her. Shaw, noticing, took control by approaching, then wrapping Elizabeth in a brief but warm hug.

“Thanks for coming. Man you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Shaw’s eyes widened briefly. “Oh shit! I forgot the burner in the garage.” She turned and waving Elizabeth along ran back inside to the workbench. Picking up the phone Shaw frowned at it, then exhaled.

“There’s a text message- looks like GPS coordinates. 34.0831N 107.2053W. Can you tell me where it is?”

Elizabeth looked at Shaw and shook her head. Shaw smiled faintly.

“Sorry, talking to Machine.” As the Machine reported Shaw communicated to Elizabeth. “Kelly, New Mexico, ghost town 122 miles from here. Several roads in and out- may make our approach easier, may make locating Root and Gen a little more difficult.”

Shaw was quiet for a minute listening. She smiled faintly and looked at Elizabeth.

“She says Root’s alive. She located her in a building a few hundred feet from the abandoned church outside Kelly. She’s unconscious though and can’t tell how badly she’s injured.”

“That’s great news Shaw- you _talk_ to the machine?”

“There’ve been some changes, Elizabeth, and I’m glad you mentioned it.”

Shaw turned to the workbench, opened a drawer and removed a phone and a small box.

“Here, open this- I’ll explain how to use it.”

Elizabeth took the burner phone and slipped in in her pocket. She opened the box and pulled out one of the two earwigs that were inside. Shaw reached over and touched the box.

“Put it in and I’ll show you how to work it. Either one, one’s a spare.”

As Elizabeth complied, Shaw instructed her on the simple operation. Once she was familiar with the steps required to use the earwig, Shaw smiled faintly.

“OK, now for the fun part. Turn it on.” Elizabeth reached up to her ear and flicked it on. Shaw resumed her instructions.

“Your communications are always enabled, only you can cut them off if necessary. You can communicate with any of us who have similar devices. Root has one as well, so if she regains consciousness we can communicate with her. Of course she may not be able to answer us, but we can warn her if necessary.

“Now, get ready I’m going to talk to the Machine. Can you hear me?”

_Of course, Ms. Shaw, I’ve been here all along- as you know._

“Say hello to Elizabeth.”

_Ms. Ruben, thank you for coming. Your weapons research shows some promise based on what I’ve been able to ascertain. However, your encryption has made it extremely difficult to analyze much of it. It would be most helpful if you could link your complete work to me so we can complete analysis._

Elizabeth’s eyes were wide and wondering.

“This is the machine? You’re talking to me? I thought you only spoke to Finch and Root.”

_As you’ve seen, I talk to Ms. Shaw as well. I communicate with any of the team that needs to be in direct contact with the information I can deliver._

“You remind me of Finch. Not the voice, but the way you communicate.”

Shaw jumped in briefly, "Until I asked her to stop, the voice she used was Root's."

"That might have driven me crazy," Elizabeth's eyes rolled, "no offense."

"None taken- it drove me a little crazy."

Elizabeth looked at Shaw. "I'll get my iPad. I can upload everything re my designs and testing immediately.”

Elizabeth left the garage returning in less than two minutes.

“I’m uploading all my research. If you think it needs tweaking, please give me a heads up- I’ve noticed it can be a wee bit squirrelly if messed with the wrong way.”

_You need to get moving, I have uploaded a route for you, Ms. Ruben. You will arrive about fifteen minutes before Ms. Shaw, and will have time to activate your drones and still have time to get in position. You will set up approximately 100 feet behind the building that Ms. Groves is being held in._

_When Ms. Shaw arrives and Ms. Zhirova is brought out you should be able to move in closer. I will direct you and help with any information the drones need that may be arriving in real time. When our counterattack begins, you should only have to worry about your targets- the drones will be totally self-directed, as you’ve programmed them to be._

“I need to get going. This will work, Shaw, we will get them both back.”

Sameen smiled at Elizabeth. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you’re here.”

Shaw had never said anything like that to her. In addition, she had never seen Shaw smile so genuinely. It made her heart flutter. _I can see why Root’s in love with her- I could easily fall… Stop!_

“We’ll talk on the way- I’ve got to get these drones packed and move.”

They loaded the boxes into the cargo van followed by Elizabeth’s arsenal. As Elizabeth was climbing into the driver’s seat Shaw put her arm on her shoulder. As Elizabeth paused, Shaw drew her in, hugged her, and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Shaw’s eyes shone with unshed tears and the gratitude in her face was obvious.

Without replying, Elizabeth nodded and got in the truck. _Keep your mind on the mission._


	9. Chapter 9

Elizabeth drove down the access road and pulled into a small clearing. The Machine had directed her to her destination in under two hours. As the cargo van turned into the clearing and stopped, Elizabeth went over the plan one last time. It seemed simple and would only require flawless timing for the start of their attack.

That was in the hands of the Machine.

Fifteen minutes later Elizabeth was on her way to the target. The bike was slower and a little more sluggish than expected- the extra weight Elizabeth carried because of her weapons made enough difference to be annoying. It didn’t add more than 45 seconds to the trip but Elizabeth could feel it and mentally urged the bike to go faster. It didn’t work.

At the same time, Shaw was turning onto the road that led directly to the church. She had seen no vehicle traffic in the vicinity and assumed they were watching her electronically- maybe just to make sure she was alone in the truck. _Hopefully, they’re overconfident and won’t consider the possibility of an ambush._

As she drove up to the abandoned church, the phone rang. Shaw connected the call, but said nothing.

“Park next to the church, get out and walk down to the building you see one hundred feet to the west.”

“I am taking the ATV out of the bed first so the girl can use it to leave.”

There was a brief laugh. “Fine.”

Shaw went to the back of the truck, pulled out the ramps and drove the ATV down so Gen could get on and leave. _Play the charade- I can’t believe he thinks I think he’s going to let Gen go. Where would she go anyway?_

Once the four wheeler was on the ground, Shaw spoke into the phone.

“Where is she?”

“Walk toward the building. She will come out of the church when you’ve cleared the area.”

As Shaw began to walk toward the building, Elizabeth spoke quietly in her ear.

“I’m set up about fifty feet behind and south of the building. I have one of the drones positioned above the church. If someone comes after Gen there the drone will take them down. I’ve been able to count three targets outside the building. Wait, door’s opening….”

As Shaw continued up the path toward the building, she saw that the building was a metal shed about 30 feet long and fifteen feet wide. The door was about five feet wide and slid open and closed. Three figures emerged carrying an object that Shaw couldn’t identify. Then she heard Elizabeth gasp.

“They’ve got Root tied to a _cross_ Shaw. It looks like they intend to crucify her!”

Shaw’s blood ran cold. Forcing herself to focus, she blocked it out of her mind and whispered into the comm.

“The leader will come out last, he needs to see everything, we are going to have a tight window but I suspect he’ll come out right before the guy comes to get Gen. Everyone’s fair game Elizabeth- and I don’t care if we kneecap them or kill them- I want every threat down.”

“Roger that.”

Shaw watched in horror as three men appeared from the left side of the shed carrying Root who was tied to an approximately ten foot long wooden cross. _Focus- and remember Gen_. As the three cleared the building another figure appeared in the doorway. Elizabeth saw him in her scope and alerted Shaw.

“Target exiting shed now- looks like the boss.”

The Machine chirped in their ears. _Gen exiting church adjacent Sierra, there’s an unidentified target behind building coming around fast. Target is alone._

Shaw turned to look at the Church. She spotted Gen and pointed at the ATV. Gen nodded and as she headed toward it Shaw saw a shadow at the southern corner of the Church. She heard a voice from behind her.

“Hey putana. Say goodbye to your little friend.”

Shaw quietly said into the comm, “Now!” then turned to watch Gen.

As she reached the ATV the shadow became a figure in camo. He was raising a AR style weapon when his chest blew red and gray gore out the front. The crack of the recoiless .308 shattered the silence simultaneously. The target dropped his weapon and sank to the ground shaking as he bled out.

Elizabeth spun her scope to the targets near the shed, noticing the leader ducking back inside. The drones were deadly in their accuracy and all but one was down within three seconds. The last target dove sideways and as the first round from the drone hit his left arm, he raised his weapon one handed in Root’s direction.

Elizabeth fired once. The target’s head exploded.

Shaw yelled at Gen, “Clear the area- NOW!” As Gen nodded and hopped on the ATV Shaw sprinted toward Root. She dropped to her knees and quickly checked Root’s pulse. It was steady if slightly weak.

“She’s unconscious but I thinks she’s OK Elizabeth. Can you have the drones monitor the shed for this guy trying to escape?”

“On it.” Elizabeth pulled her iPad out and clicked twice. “It looks like he’s trapped in there.”

“Keep him inside while I get Root in the truck- then we’ll deal with him.” Then softer, “Is it clear?”

_I have no targets save the one who’s taken cover in the shed._

Shaw untied her love, then gently lifted her. Adrenaline made Root light as a feather and Sameen carried her to the Sierra and laid her gently on the open tailgate. She opened the rear driver’s side door, returned to the bed and scooped Root into her arms and gently laid her on the back seat.

As Shaw turned to head back to the shed, the Machine spoke.

_Ms. Ruben, move now, target is aiming at your position._

Shaw grabbed a weapon from the back and broke into a sprint. Elizabeth moved back into the small group of trees she had used as cover. As she reached an outcropping of large boulders the earth exploded from underneath her, hurling her into the air like a rag doll.

Shaw saw the explosion as she noted a huge flash from inside the shed’s door. She stopped, raised her RPG and let loose into the shed. The resulting explosion sent fire and debris out both the door and two seams where the shed walls were joined. As she raised the weapon to send more grenades into the shed, a figure covered in soot stumbled out of the door.

Shaw stalked up to him and without a word raised her Nano. Two shots rang out and the figure fell, most of his brains exiting the rear of his skull. As her self control left her, she stood over the body and emptied the rest of the clip into him, sobbing as she fired.

Shaw collected herself and ran toward Elizabeth who was lying on her side stunned. As Shaw approached she saw Elizabeth was conscious and dropped next to her. From her knees she began a quick eval of her friends condition.

“Don’t move Beth, I just need to make sure you’re OK.” Shaw’s breathing was ragged and tears were running down her cheeks. Elizabeth looked up at Sameen and smiled weakly.

“You know, you hardly ever called me Beth, except….” Elizabeth left the sentence unfinished.

Shaw was beginning to regain control of her emotions and looked down at Elizabeth confused. Then her face cleared and she smirked, then shook her head.

“You know, in some ways you and Root are a lot alike.”

“Ow, that hurt Shaw.” Elizabeth’s smile was getting stronger.

“Do you feel up to riding with me to the hospital? I can get a medical evac helicopter here if you need it. I think Dr. Tillman needs to check you out and I know she needs to see Root.”

“Dr. Tillman? I know her- she patched me up after one of my mishaps? Hot brunette with figure to die for?”

“Exactly what I was saying, in some ways you and Root are a lot alike.”

“Geez leave me alone will you? Get Gen back here and let’s get out of here.”

Shaw sent a message to the GPS unit she’d attached to the ATV. Five minutes later Gen rolled around the corner of the church. Shaw ran up to her, hugged her and checked her over.

“I’m fine Shaw, check Root out will ya?”

“We’re taking her to the hospital, Gen, she needs to be checked out by Dr. Tillman. This is Elizabeth. She’s a friend from way back- without her you guys might be dead.”

“Hi Gen, nice to meet you.”

“Hi, and thanks.” Gen seemed a little confused by the whole situation. “What exactly happened Shaw?”

“Collateral damage from our little number adventure on the way to the Grand Canyon, Gen. I have to figure out a better way to keep our personal and professional lives separate from each other. You should never have been a part of this.”

“Geez Shaw, I live with you. It goes with the territory. Besides, nothing happened to me the whole time. They kept me locked up in this building and never laid a hand on me. Maybe it would be smarter to keep teaching me how to defend myself, maybe even get me a gun so the next time I can help you guys.”

“There won’t be a next time Gen, even if I have to find some safe place for you.”

“Oh no you don’t.” Gen’s face darkened. “You two promised me I could come live with you. I’d rather die than have that change.”

Shaw shook her head and smiled.

“We’ll talk about this later. Right now we have to get Root and Elizabeth to the hospital to get checked out. Come on.”

Shaw pulled the Sierra’s ramps down and loaded the ATV, then headed across the battlefield to where Elizabeth had set up and retrieved the bike. As Shaw was loading it, Elizabeth tilted her head.

“Can you hear me?”

_Of course Ms. Ruben, and you and your creations did well today._

“Can you please direct the drones back to the cargo van- I left the back compartment open just in case. We can send someone back to get them after we get the OK from the doctor.”

_Of course. They’re already on their way back. I think I can even get them to close the door and I can lock the remote once they’re secure inside. I can have someone come and retrieve the van and take it to a location of your choosing if you’d like. It can be back to Ms. Shaw’s within six hours._

“Is that safe?”

They walked over to the truck and climbed in, Gen in back with Root’s head in her lap. Shaw looked over at Elizabeth and smiled.

“I learned this from Root-

“Trust her Elizabeth.”


	10. Chapter 10

The trip back to Albuquerque was spent mostly in silence. Shaw was emotionally spent, not realizing until she actually looked down at Root tied to the cross (that had apparently been removed from inside of Kelly Church) how much differently this could have ended. The thought of losing Root so soon after finding her again (no- losing her at _all_ ) sent terror shooting through every fiber of her being.

Gen’s being in danger and the guilt she felt over dragging Elizabeth into the middle of everything combined to force Sameen into a brooding silence that Elizabeth didn’t feel comfortable disrupting. She had her own issues, nursing what was probably a minor concussion. She also was struggling with feelings of her own- the day had rekindled embers of a fire she had thought was long extinguished.

Gen was tired, still a little scared and mostly concerned with the implications of what Shaw had said about her being put in a “safer” place. She couldn’t bear to be separated from the only family she had left in the world. If they sent her away Gen would be lost, possibly forever.

Shaw’s reverie was broken as she realized the sun had disappeared during the drive back. _This has been one long-ass day._ Weariness was creeping up on her as she took their exit and headed for the complex that had become the focus of so much of their lives over the past months.

As the Sierra pulled up to the hospital, Dr. Tillman, Finch and Reese were waiting for them. Grace had returned to Europe to deal with some details regarding the subletting of the home she shared with Harold, and Lionel had returned to New York to work and Lee.

While Shaw came around to lift Root out of the back seat, the automatic doors opened and two nurses came out pushing a gurney. Shaw waved them off and lifted Root from the back seat and gently placed her on it. Leaning down she kissed Root’s forehead and nodded at the nurses.

As Dr. Tillman turned to follow, Shaw stopped her.

“I don’t know if you remember Elizabeth Ruben, Dr. Tillman, but she got in the way of an explosion and needs to be looked at as well.”

“I do remember you Elizabeth,” Dr. Tillman blushed slightly, “let’s get you inside with Ms. Groves and see if you’re OK.”

“Thanks, Dr. Tillman, but I think it’s just a slight concussion.” Elizabeth stared at the doctor with more than polite interest, which Shaw _and_ the doctor noticed. Dr. Tillman’s blush deepened. She hesitated, then waved her inside.

“Hi Ellie.” John smiled faintly at Elizabeth. “Looks like trouble just can’t leave you alone.”

“Hi John, I’m really glad to hear you’re OK.” Elizabeth walked over and gave Reese a hug. Then smiled at Finch. “Harold, it’s good to see you.”

“Ms. Ruben, thanks for what you did, you have a knack of being exactly what we need when we need it.”

“I’ll see you later, I have a doctor’s appointment.” It was a good thing Dr. Tillman couldn’t hear the innuendo Elizabeth managed to put into that simple statement- having gone through the doors after Root’s gurney.

Gen was still sitting in the back seat of the Sierra when Shaw leaned in and motioned her out. Tears were sparkling in the fourteen year old’s eyes and Shaw noticed immediately.

“Is this catching up with you Gen? It’s OK, you’ll be alright after a day or two.”

“It has nothing to do with that, Shaw, I can’t…. I won’t let you send me away. I don’t care if it’s dangerous- this is my home and you are my family. If you send me away, I’ll run away and you’ll never see me again. I…. I ….” Gen’s voice trailed off into a muffled sob.

“Whoa Gen, listen I was thinking about that on the way back. You’re not going anywhere until it’s time for you to go off to college. I was way too hasty back there and said some stuff in the heat of the moment. I’ll worry about your safety, but Root and I will do everything to ensure it and we’ll deal with life as it happens.”

Gen’s face lit up with relief. “You mean it? Oh man…thank you, thank you, I don’t know what I would have done if you had tried to send me away. You guys are everything to me.”

“We love you too, kiddo, now let’s get inside and see how our friends are doing.”

As the group made it’s way to the private wing where Root and Elizabeth had been taken, Shaw briefed Finch and Reese on the events at Kelly Church.

“There are bodies everywhere, I think nine or ten and the shed is probably a total loss. I’m pretty sure the van and Elizabeth’s attack drones, which functioned perfectly by the way, will be safe. The Machine told us it was having it picked up and delivered here within a few hours. I didn’t want it delivered back to our house on the off chance someone noticed it or was watching it.”

Finch nodded agreement.

“I still have some contacts in the government Ms. Shaw, I think we can convince them a drug deal went bad and a gun battle resulted. It’s easier to head this stuff off rather than let someone dig around and discover a link we’d rather stay buried.”

Shaw tilted her head staring at Harold. A small smile threatened her lips.

“No lecture on shooting for kneecaps Harold? You’ve come a long way.”

“Losing two of the people closest to you, even if it turned out not to be true, has a way of making you look at things differently.”

“Amen to that Harold.”

They made their way down to the waiting area. Shaw’s concern for Root was growing as the excitement of the day began to fade. She asked the duty nurse if she could go in and see how Root was doing.

“I’ll check.” The nurse picked up a phone and, after a two minute eternity, smiled at Shaw. “Go on back- it’s room 1.”

As Sameen made her way back, she felt the fingertips of doubt and panic begin to tap patterns on her heart. Resisting the urge to burst in, she stopped and knocked lightly on the door.

“Come in Ms. Shaw.”

Shaw entered to find Dr. Tillman finishing her exam of Root. As Sameen closed the door and turned to the gurney she saw Root’s eyes were open and she was watching Shaw with tired eyes.

“Hi Sam, did you miss me?”

Shaw smiled as tears threatened to spill out onto her cheeks. She fought a short battle with herself ( _feelings Sameen?_ ) before wiping at her eyes.

“Root, I swear you’ll be the death of me! How is she doc?”

“Ms. Groves will be fine, however I want to keep her here overnight for observation. She may have benefitted from her previous traumatic injuries in this instance. It appears that she was unconscious for the entire ordeal which kept her captors from doing anything more to her.

“When we got in the room, I checked her vitals. Once I established there was no immediate issue I tried smelling salts. They worked. She’s a little groggy, and probably will be for the next few hours but she should be able to go home tomorrow morning- after I give her a complete physical of course.”

“Thanks Dr. Tillman. I can keep watch for a few minutes. You have another patient.”

Dr. Tillman’s blush returned. She actually looked adorable when flustered.

“Yes, I… I will be back in a few minutes.”

“Take your time, doc.” Shaw smirked, then winked at her.

The blush deepened as the doctor turned and left the exam room.

“What was that about Sam?”

“Dr. Tillman and Elizabeth have a past Root. I’m not sure what if anything happened or if they had a relationship… although who am I to put labels on what others do or have?”

Root reached out and took Shaw’s hand.

“Sameen, what would you call what we do and have?”

Shaw smiled.

“Everything.”

….

 

Shaw and Gen spent the night at the hospital. The day seemed to have lasted a week and once Shaw knew both Root and Elizabeth were in no danger, the strain of it seemed to catch up with her all at once.

One minute she was talking to Harold, John and Gen in the waiting area, the next Gen was shaking her shoulder.

“Shaw, wake up, you nodded off listening to Harold.”

“Oops, sorry. This was a long day. I think I need a nap.”

“No apologies necessary, Ms. Shaw, let’s get the doctor to find you somewhere to sleep tonight.”

“I’d like to sleep in the room they took Root to if possible. Tonight, if I wake up for _any_ reason, I’m going to need to see her.”

Finch smiled, “I’ll talk to the doctor.”

….

Shaw ended up sleeping in a recliner next to Root’s bed. The nightmares were brief but vivid, and at one point she got out of the recliner and left the room, returning a few minutes later with a cup of coffee. As she entered the room, Root was sitting up in bed with her legs off the side in an attempt to get up.

“Whoa, soldier, where do you think you’re going?”

Roots face, a mask of confusion, cleared immediately when she heard Shaw’s voice.

“I was at the gas station, Sam. Only instead of getting out of the Escalade I was frozen in it. As you came out of the station, someone pointed a gun at you and fired…. I closed my eyes, then woke up here. I had to find you.”

Shaw sat beside Root on the bed, wrapped an arm around her and kissed the side of her head.

“It’s going to take some time to get over this, Root. We will, you will- you’re the strongest person I know.”

“Present company excluded, Sam.”

“Go back to sleep.”


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning both Root and Shaw were beginning to return to their old selves. Root began flirting with Shaw the minute her eyes opened. Shaw, after rolling her eyes, immediately asked,

“What’s for breakfast?”

Root smirked, “That’s my Sameen- more interested in food than me.”

“Oh I don’t think so, but practically, we can eat breakfast here. Some things should wait until we get home.”

Root tilted her head, then rolled her eyes.

“You didn’t say that when we had ten hours to kill in a safe house back in New York.”

Shaw just shook her head.

“I’m glad you feel better Root.”

....

As Shaw, Root and Gen were finishing breakfast in the private dining room, Elizabeth entered the room. Shaw waved her over and after she grabbed a croissant and a cup of black pearl tea she headed over to the group. Root smiled at her.

“Elizabeth, I can’t tell you how grateful I am for what you did. Shaw told me everything and….” Root’s eyes misted briefly, “..well thank you.”

“You’re welcome- you know it was nice to get back into the field. I have to admit, I’ve kind of missed the action. It was also nice to finally field test those drones in something other than a simulation.”

Shaw growled, “Don’t mention simulation around me.”

As Elizabeth tilted her head and frowned, Root reached over and patted Shaw’s hand.

“Long story, Elizabeth, we’ll talk later.”

Shaw shot a look at Root then, recovering, smirked at Elizabeth.

“You’ve got that look, Beth, did you have a nice night?”

“Shut it Shaw.” But Ellie’s smile belied her words as a slight flush crept up her cheeks.

As they finished breakfast, Dr. Tillman entered the room and headed for the coffee. She filled her cup, then approached the group. Shaw looked up at her and smirked.

“Good morning Doctor?” There was greeting, inquiry and innuendo in those three words. Dr. Tillman looked flustered for a brief moment (adorable) then, recovering, smiled back at Shaw.

“Good morning to you, Ms. Shaw. I’ve cleared an hour at 10:00 this morning to give Ms. Groves a complete physical examination. Once we’re done you can head on home and we will resume regular appointments next week.”

Root looked up with a smile, “We’ll be there.”

“I’ll see you later then.” She nodded at the group, eyes lingering on Elizabeth, then left without another word.

Shaw couldn’t resist.

“She’s adorable when flustered, Elizabeth. You apparently had quite an effect on her.”

Root shot Shaw a look. “Sam….” She nodded at Gen, who appeared to be ignoring the conversation. You could never be sure though, she seemed to notice and understand much more than even many adults.

Shaw actually managed to look chagrinned, “Sorry.”

The group finished breakfast in silence. They left the private dining room and headed toward Dr. Tillman’s office. Gen broke off and headed toward the main wing, saying she wanted to see if there were any kids around who wanted to discuss coding. As she disappeared around a corner, Root smiled and elbowed Shaw.

“I think she’s really starting to like and need her time teaching those kids, Sam. With the right direction she could be a teacher- and a good one.”

“I agree, and it’s a way better career than the one she originally wanted.”

As they arrived at Dr. Tillman’s office, Root looked at Shaw.

“You know, I’m a big girl, Sam, I can go in by myself.”

Shaw rolled her eyes. “Fine, but I’ll be right here when you’re done.”

As Root disappeared into the doctor’s office, Shaw took a seat.

Elizabeth wandered around the small reception area for a couple of minutes, then sat across from Shaw. She cleared her throat and Shaw looked up from her phone.

“I want to say something and I hope you’ll let me finish without interrupting me.”

“Of course, Elizabeth, what’s up.”

Elizabeth looked down, then back at Shaw.

“I lied- but in my defense, I thought I was being honest. I lied when I said I was over it. Coming here showed me I’m not over it with you. I’ll never be over it….”

Shaw opened her mouth but Elizabeth rushed on.

“No, you said you’d let me finish and I’m going to. I never thought much about any feelings I might have had for you before- you were a self-diagnosed sociopath, so feelings didn’t have any meaning as far as you were concerned.

“Seeing you yesterday before, during and after the church hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I realized I had repressed anything I might have felt for you because it would have never been reciprocated. Seeing you like this opened up all the emotions I deliberately buried during the time we worked together in New York.

“I said I’ll never be ‘over’ it, but I also want you to know I get what you and Root have and I’d never come between the two of you. I just felt compelled to be honest with you. I also have to admit, I admire what Root did. She felt so strongly about you that she was willing to take what little you had to give initially and over time she broke down the walls you built around your emotions.

“Part of me wishes I had seen what she saw and been willing and able to do what she did. The rest of me, when I’m being honest with myself, realizes I probably couldn’t have done what Root did- it requires that special, some might say psychotic, part of her personality that I don’t have.

“Bottom line is I’m glad you and Root are together, but I’ll always have a part of me that wishes things could have turned out differently.”

Shaw stood and walked over to Ellie and took her hand.

“Now that I realize more what feelings are, I can honestly tell you I have feelings for you, Elizabeth. I love you and I truly value your friendship. I’m not, however, _in love_ with you and I think you understand why.

“Root and I are special.... ok that sounds weird. Root and I have a unique relationship, much of it due to our previous lives. I don't do much introspection but when I've thought about us, I came to the conclusion that we only had two possibilities: we were either going to hate and try and destroy each other or love each other so intensely we'd think we were the only two people in the universe. We could have never been 'just friends', that wouldn't and couldn't have happened.

"And if it makes you feel any better, I believe only that 'perky psycho' could have fixed what was wrong with me. No one else could have done what she did."

Elizabeth stood and hugged Shaw who returned the hug genuinely. After a short time, Elizabeth leaned back and said, "So what's the deal with you and simulations?"

Shaw's face darkened briefly, then cleared and she began to recount her time in Samaritan's clutches. She described her capture, torture and then, the simulations.

"7000 times they tried to get me to divulge the information they needed to find the team and the Machine. During those simulations I did a lot of horrible things including killing members of the team. The one person I couldn't kill was Root- so I killed myself over and over rather than kill her.

"When I escaped for real Root and I ran into each other in Central Park. I thought it was another simulation and put a gun to my head and told her I'd rather kill my self here and now than take the chance of hurting her.

"Her reaction was to pull her gun and point it at herself, saying 'we'll play it your way. If you die I die too. You can't live with me- I can't live without you.' That's when I knew it wasn't a simulation. There was no possible scenario where I would’ve imagined that happening. Then I knew- and I knew she was the one. Hell, until then I didn’t even realize that there was ‘a one.’

“Then she was gone, dead I thought. And the worst part wasn’t the crushing loneliness I never imagined I’d feel, the pain at her loss or the anger at Samaritan. No, the worst was that I had let her die without telling her that I loved her back- that she had been the one to ‘turn up the volume’ on my feelings.

“When I discovered she wasn’t dead, I resolved to spend the rest of my life making it up to her, making her feel loved in every way I could. She’s my life, Elizabeth, and all I want to do is enjoy every moment we have.”

Elizabeth’s eyes were sparkling with tears. She smiled at Shaw.

“Wow, I hope someday I can either feel that way about someone or have someone feel that way about me. I really am happy for both of you.”

“So what’s going on with you and the doctor? Or shouldn’t I ask?”

“Less than you would imagine… she’s a little shy. I think seeing me triggered some memories from out time in New York. I don’t think anything would happen, but you sure made her uncomfortable when you kept implying we had something going. And who knows… but I do have someone back home.”

“Serious?”

“More from her side than mine. I just like to have fun. Back to our original discussion, I don’t know if I’m more disappointed that you’re taken or that John still doesn’t show any interest in me. Bottom line, she’s a good friend and there are some benefits. But if you had called, I’d of come running. And if John called…..”

“You know, John had a major thing with Zoe Morgan back in New York. She still doesn’t know he’s alive. Their relationship was pretty much a roller coaster ride, but… the only person John ever admitted loving to me was his old girlfriend Jessica. He may have fallen for Carter as well but both are dead.

“John’s the brother I never had, but he’s a very private person. I think he likes Zoe, but I’m not sure he loves her. He built a wall around his heart when Jessica was murdered, then it appears that Carter put cracks in that wall. When she was killed, the wall went back up big time and I don’t know if it will ever come down.

“I’m the last person in the world to give romantic advice, but unless you like pining away for an indeterminate number of years, I’d certainly not wait around for John.”

“I know, Shaw, I was just saying. He’s always been my knight in shining armor and I guess it’s just normal for a girl to long for her knight to come and carry her off into the sunset.”

Just then, the door to Dr. Tillman’s office opened. Root exited followed by the doctor. They were sharing a laugh and the doctor had a small redness on her cheeks. Root looked over at Shaw and Elizabeth and smiled.

“We can go home now Sam. Elizabeth, do you want to come home with us or hang around here for the day? The doctor and I thought it would be nice to have a nice dinner party at our house tonight. The four of us, Gen, John and Finch. What do you think?”

“Well, I told my mom I’d be gone several days to a week. I guess I could head for home tomorrow. But I don’t think hanging around here would be smart since I’m sure Doctor Tillman has a busy schedule.”

“I actually don’t,” the doctor said, a little too quickly Shaw thought. “I can show you around the hospital and we can drive out there in one of the hospital’s Suburbans. That way John and Harold can ride along.”

“I’d love that.” When Elizabeth glanced at Dr. Tillman, she noticed the blush returning.

“Then it’s settled, we’ll eat at 7:00.”


	12. Chapter 12

Root and Shaw headed back home alone. Gen had asked to stay back to work with a couple of Native American kids who were at the hospital. She would ride out with Dr. Tillman and her group in time for dinner. Root was excited about a slow cooker Beef Tenderloin recipe she had that she wanted to make for the main course.

The two stopped at the market and got everything they’d need for the evening. Arriving home, they unloaded the truck and went to check on Bear. He was sleeping in his bed and as Shaw approached him, he looked up and wagged his tail, but didn’t even stand.

“Poor Bear, I think he may have been hurt as bad as you were. If he isn’t significantly better by tomorrow, we’re taking him to the vet. He needs a checkup.”

“Do you want to take him now, Sam? I can throw this meat in the slow cooker and be ready to go in ten minutes.”

“No, let him rest today- remember, it’s been less than thirty-six hours since this whole thing happened.”

“A lot happened in those thirty-six hours. And I haven’t properly thanked you for coming to my rescue…” Root’s eyes shimmered with promise.

“We have a dinner to get ready for.”

“Are you saying no to me Sameen?”

Shaw groaned, “I can never say no to you when you say my name like that.”

“Like what Sameen?”

Shaw left the groceries on the counter and turned toward their bedroom.

…..

“Looks like that slow-cooker recipe will have to wait for another time Root.”

“Worth it.”

Root headed back toward the kitchen, but Shaw reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

“Maybe you should rest and let me do dinner. You’ve had a hell of a time.”

“Dr. Tillman says I’m fine, Sam, and I really feel okay. Besides, which ‘hell of a time’ are you talking about.”

“Never mind, let’s go make dinner.”

….

When the group arrived from the hospital, Gen went straight to Bear who finally jumped out of his bed and showed signs of returning to his normal self. After giving Bear a few minutes of love, she headed up to clean up for dinner.

Bear trotted over to Finch and Reese wagging his tail happily. As the two gave him some attention Shaw smiled in relief.

“Looks like he’s finally recovering. I guess we don’t need to take him to the vet. Who’s drinking what? Dinner will be done in a half hour.”

Finch held up a bag, “Wine and your favorite scotch Ms. Shaw.”

“Now you’re talking.”

Shaw looked at Elizabeth and Dr. Tillman who were standing in close proximity but seemed nervous. _I need to tread carefully. The doctor looks like she’s spooked._

“What do you prefer? Wine or scotch- we also have several brands of beer downstairs.”

Dr. Tillman looked at Shaw like she was really considering the question. Flushing slightly, she said, “I’ll have scotch.”

Shaw, who had never seen Dr. Tillman drink anything but wine raised her eyebrows, then nodded. Elizabeth tilted her head at Shaw and smiled.

“Do you guys still keep a good supply of Heineken? I would have one.”

Root came walking out of the kitchen with a green bottle. Smiling, she walked over to Elizabeth.

“Here you go, bought some on the way home. John, Harold?”

“Wine for me” from Finch.

“I’ll have a Heineken.” Reese smiled and looked around. “I can’t get over how the two of you did this.”

Shaw smirked at John. “It came along at the right time.”

“That’s not what I meant…. and you know it.”

Shaw’s smirk turned into a genuine smile. She walked toward Root and wrapped her arm around her waist. Root’s smile could have lit the night.

Harold raised his glass.

“To good friends.”

_Fin_

_**Author’s note: Thanks to those who stuck with this ’til the end. Once again, there may be more adventures in store for our group- I just don’t know. There are a few plot lines to explore and I hope to explore them someday. I don’t own any of these characters.** _


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